Reviews

The Apothecary Diaries, Volume 4 by Itsuki Nanao, Natsu Hyuuga

shinypurplepants's review against another edition

The change of setting from the Palace doesn't seem very promising 🙃 I did not start this series looking for a romance, especially since I still don't find Maomao compelling

saintofthe's review against another edition

adventurous funny medium-paced

5.0

quirkycatsfatstacks's review against another edition

4.5

 

Summary:

Maomao spent the earliest parts of her life training in herbal medicine. She had a path in life that she loved. Unfortunately, that was all ripped away from her when she was captured and sold to the inner palace.

Now, Maomao is a poison taster, and that has put her in a unique situation. Slowly, she's earning a reputation for herself – whether she means to or not. On the bright side, all of the drama has given her the perfect excuse to visit home for the first time since she got taken.

Review:

By complete accident, Maomao has begun to make a name for herself within the inner palace. Some of her reputation is good (her knowledge of medicine, plants, and poisons), some less so (her love of ingesting poison). It makes for a comical balance as we read along.

The Apothecary Diaries Vol. 4 brings us back to this historical world, with Maomao's life about to change quite drastically. Yet everything still feels the same. I know it's an odd way to describe these events. I'm trying to avoid spoilers while capturing the overall feel of the story.

I do love how curious (read: nosy) Maomao is. She seems to keep finding herself in the middle of murders/mysteries. Naturally, her understanding of medicine helps her solve those cases. Her intelligence and compassion shineshine through in surprising ways, and that's what makes the series so endearing.

I can't wait to see what happens next in this series. Time to grab The Apothecary Diaries Vol. 5!

Highlights:
Historical Fiction
Manga
Poison & Medicine

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readinthefiels's review against another edition

funny mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

corallydeer's review

dark emotional lighthearted mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This was a great volume! Watching all of the intrigue and mystery play out with Consort Aduo and her head lady-in-waiting. The way that Maomao pieced together the mystery felt very natural and easy to follow along, so it felt like it flowed really well. I also loved seeing the whole miscommunication and misunderstanding at the end take place. Can't wait for the next volume!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, and Medical content

Moderate: Bullying, Grief, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Murder, Pedophilia, Suicide, Alcohol, and Pregnancy

Child Death

(depictions of Consort Aduo's child's death and her grief)

| Death

(the corpse of a drowned woman discovered and examined; discussion of Maomao's preferred execution style; the death of Consort Aduo's child is explored; Fengming, Aduo's head lady-in-waiting is executed [but not shown])

| Medical Content

(Maomao is an apothecary so her knowledge is used; Maomao's father was also an apothecary previously)

| Bullying

(Consort Lishu's ladies-in-waiting bully her)

| Classism

(discussion of the reality that peasants can be executed easily by nobles)

| Grief

(depictions of Consort Aduo's grief after losing her child and ability to bear children; depictions of Fengming's grief at causing the death of Aduo's child)

| Infertility

(Consort Aduo loses the ability to bear children after her first birth and how this impacts her position in the Inner Court)

| Injury/Injury Detail

(Chinese foot binding shown and explained)

| Alcohol

(some minor drinking depicted)

| Murder

(mentioned in passing as a possible cause for the drowned woman's death; mention of the attempted murder [poisoning] of Consort Lishu)

| Pedophilia

(passing mention of the late emperor's preference for especially young concubines)

| Pregnancy

(passing mention as the duty of concubines)

| Suicide

(mentioned in passing as a possible cause for the drowned woman's death)

theladydoor's review against another edition

funny informative lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

danicashelflove's review

fast-paced

5.0

skuld3996's review against another edition

funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

true's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

5.0

clairemccrea's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

3.5